A THOUSAND SONGS
The only Hindi film singer the Mahatma heard, Manna Dey never got his due
NEW DELHI: In his over half-a-century-long Hindi film career, he sang more than a thousand songs, but just three serve to demonstrate his position in the industry's scheme of things - the madcap "Ek Chatur Naar" where Kishore Kumar beats him; the enchanting qawwali "Na to karvaan ki talash hai" where Mohammed Rafi emerges triumphant eventually; and the classical contest "Ketaki gulab juhi", where he beats Pandit Bhimsen Joshi.